Over the weekend, feral Chicago thugs mugged an Afghan War veteran and his girlfriend, and after “searching” the woman, they stabbed the veteran in the shoulder. However, it didn’t take long for them to realize just how bad of an idea it was.

Neil McCarthy is a British national and certified badass who served in the Afghanistan War, and he was visiting Chicago over the weekend with his girlfriend, 26-year-old Carisa Lerner when they were approached by feral thugs, reported FOX32. Noe Mondragon, 22, Luis Saldago-Camargo, 18, and a third man demanded the couple’s belongings. After the couple gave the thugs everything they had, the two men started to “search” Lerner, which McCarthy wasn’t about to let happen.

“We were kind of hoping that when they came up and said ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ we would just be able to go ‘Good’ and then just carry on,” McCarthy said. “I think of it now, it was a terrible plan and they were always going to rob us, no matter how nice our greetings were.”

One of the attackers held a knife to McCarthy, 27, and demanded that he hand over his belongings. The pair complied, but when one of the men laid his hands on Lerner, McCarthy reacted in an instant.

“Turning and seeing that guy just on her and I don’t know where those hands have been get them off my girlfriend, that’s what made me take a risk essentially,” said McCarthy.

Although the Royal Air Force badass was able to get the man off of his girlfriend, he was stabbed in the shoulder and punched in the face in the process, but it didn’t stop him. McCarthy then grabbed the knife by its blade and wrestled it away from the thug and threatened all three with it, which is when they showed their true colors and ran off.

Neil McCarthy showing off his stab wound

They were able to get his wallet, passport, and cell phone, but it wouldn’t be the last they saw of McCarthy, who’s currently studying at the University of Minnesota. After getting patched up by medics, McCarthy used the Find My iPhone app to track his phone, and it led him straight to one of the attackers.

“I just sprinted after and just got him and dragged him over to the road here,” McCarthy said.

McCarthy held the thug until police arrived just a short time after and arrested him. Although he found his phone and captured a thug in the process, McCarthy’s passport and wallet are still gone.

As a result of the incident, Mondragon is charged with aggravated battery/use of a deadly weapon and armed robbery, and Salgado-Camargo faces two felony counts of armed robbery, according to Chicago Police.

It’s not often that stories like this have a happy ending, but it’s awesome when they do since everyone loves a good story about vigilante justice. This time around, feral thugs picked the wrong victim, and it cost them dearly. Not only was McCarthy unafraid to counter-attack, but he had the training to be able to do so. However, not everyone does, and the incident could have turned out much differently.

Stories like this are an excellent reminder of why we have the Second Amendment, and it shows that it’s a good idea to buy a gun and get properly trained on how to use it. After all, just like with a fire extinguisher, it’s better to have a gun and never use it, than to need one and never have it.